Structural members such as electrical transmission poles have been used for decades to run electrical conductors high above the ground to span great distances. The method has proven less costly and less time consuming than running electrical conductors underground where numerous obstructions are encountered and rights of way needed. Arms are connected to the structural members to hold the electrical conductors away from the structural member high above the ground. The arms are also typically long and heavy since they must support the weight of multiple electrical conductors at all times and especially during storms. Ice can also build up on the conductors and add even more weight to the conductors and arms.
Currently the arms are welded to a bracket that has a plurality of apertures through each side. The bracket abuts, on its inside surface, two thru-vangs that extend through the center of the structural member and are welded thereto. Each thru-vang also has a plurality of apertures through each side that align with the apertures in the U-shaped bracket. Once the apertures of the brackets and thru-vangs are aligned, the arms are connected onto these structural members by the use of numerous large bolts. Contractors typically install the bolts while the structure is lying on the ground. The numerous bolts are so large (typically 1.5 inches or greater in diameter), the abutting thru-vangs and arm brackets so thick (typically 2 inches or more) that the connection of the arm to the thru-vangs is time consuming and requires great force. Tightening of the bolts necessitates the use of heavy torquing wrenches which are used to tighten the bolts. The odd size of the bolts makes them difficult to purchase on the open market if one is lost. What's more, the number of bolts required for a secure arm connection takes a considerable amount of time. Last, there may be insufficient clearance for the torquing wrenches to be received inside the bracket, further delaying securement of the arms.